Just Listen: Story of my Life
by DayDreamerxo15
Summary: Annabel's life finally feels happy. She and Clarke are friends again and her relationship with Owen just keeps getting better. As for Sophie, she's miserable. Why should Annabel even consider being friends with her again? Owen/Annabel fluff*
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I finished reading JUST LISTEN and I absolutely loved it. So far, I've only read This Lullaby and Just Listen. Already, I'm a huge Sarah Dessen fan. Feel free to recommend any of her other books. I'm a sucker for love stories.**

**But I just loved Owen and Annabel's relationship and how they started off as unlikely friends. I loved the part where Annabel stops by just in time for Mallory's fashion shoot. And the part where Annabel shows Owen her carwash theory, of course. In the end, they became an unlikely couple and I just loved that. I wanted to read/write more of them. Furthermore, I give you this:**

I thought I'd be looking forward to Spring Break this year. I thought I would want nothing more than to get away. But things were way better than when school first started. My_ life_ was way better than when school first started.

Clarke and I were really growing to be close friends again and it was starting to feel like we'd never stopped. Of course, she still had her own clique of friends. Most of them were soccer players, as was Clarke. She started to include me with them and I quickly learned they were nothing like the girls I used to hang out with.

But they were _nice_. They never ignored me, which at first, was kind of what I was expecting. Who knows what they've heard. Or more importantly, who knows what they believed. But Clarke was on my side and as it seemed, so were they.

I look at Emily, surrounded by her friends. The ones who believed her and supported her from the beginning. I can't help but think: it would've been so much easier if I just had told _sooner_. But better late than never, right? That's how I learned to look at it.

And of course, Owen and I were still together. He's who got me through all this. He's who I fell _in love_ with. At lunch, we'd still argue. Or _discuss_. Whichever way you wanted to look at it. Music still remained the main topic, but we'd always discuss other things, like sports and books and movies. We'd talk more about personal things too, like his Anger Management courses and my ex-friendship with Sophie.

It felt that I'd learn something new about Owen every day. Like the fact that he liked to read Stephan King novels; and that he used to be really into baseball (the power hitter, of course) and played in middle school for a few years. And I'm sure Owen felt the same way about me. I was able to tell him anything about myself and he would always listen (earphones off and everything). It's been like that since the first day we met, really. I just didn't realize until later.

And now, it's the last day of school before Spring Break, during lunch. I convinced Owen to sit somewhere else for a change, instead of our usual spot behind the school. He agreed and we moved to a school picnic bench. This became an everyday thing, where Clarke would come join us, sometimes with friends. Owen didn't seem to mind and some days we'd return to our wall when we wanted to be alone.

But today, it was just me, Owen, and Clarke. Clarke was quizzing me for a science test, which I forgot to study for. Last night I was focused working on Owen's mix CD. It's a surprise. He's always taking time to make them for me, so I thought it might be nice to make one special for him.

"Wrong." Clarke said, holding my study sheet in front of her.

"What? What do you mean 'wrong'? Let me see that." I took the paper from her hands, reading the question over again. As for the answer, I _was_ wrong. "I could have _sworn_ I knew that one."

"This is what you get for not studying." Clarke smirked.

"You know, it's just _one_ test. Not the end of the world." Owen said. I didn't even know he was listening to us. He had his earphones in the whole time.

"But I'm barely passing as it is." Science has always been my weak spot. I was doing pretty well in my other subjects, thank God.

"Owen, why don't you go get us some waters? Annabel's stressing." Clarke suggested. But Owen was tuned back to his music, pretending he didn't hear that.

"It's fine. My boyfriend is just being a jerk." I said purposely out loud. He smiled a little. I rolled my eyes. "_I'll _go."

The lines were long, as usual, so I waited. Clarke came by to tell me she had to go finish a project or something.

"You're coming to my soccer game tomorrow morning, right?"

I nodded "I'll be there."

She smiled "Alright, great! See you later."

Clarke walked away and suddenly, I could feel someone glaring at me, burning holes in the back of my head. "Looks like you're right back where you started, huh Annabel?"

I turned around, and sure enough, it was Sophie. I was so used to her ignoring me these days. Just hearing her voice was a shock. I stared at her for a moment, until a space formed in the line.

"Leave me alone, Sophie." I muttered, taking a step.

"It's so unfair." She went on "Poor Annabel. Poor Emily. Well, what about _me_? I'm innocent and people treat me like the bad guy. No one even talks to me anymore. What the hell did _I_ do wrong?"

I figured by now, the whole school knew about Will Crash. And Sophie was known for dating him. Was she honestly trying to make me feel _sorry _for her? Trying to make me feel _guilty_ about what had happened to her reputation? For dating a rapist? She was the one who spread the rumors. She was the one who made it worse. She brought this on herself.

I turned to face her "I don't feel sorry for you. Not at all."

"You're a real bitch, you know that? God only knows if you were telling the truth. You could've _easily_ made the whole thing up. You _and_ Emily. I guess being a victim sounds a lot better than being a whore, right?"

Wrong. She was so wrong. I never wanted to be a victim.

"People feel sorry for you, you know? Hardly anyone thinks you're a slut anymore. Your life is just so easy now." she added.

Then it hit me. Sophie was pissed because my life seemed so much better without her. And it was. Now she had no one to push around and_ that_ was killing her.

Even if I did get the chance to explain myself last spring, Sophie wouldn't have believed me. _That_ I was sure of. She should have seen it in my face that night. She should have _known_ something was wrong. But she didn't. That just proves we were never really friends.

"So you and Owen Armstrong, huh?"

Hearing her say his name made me tense. "Enough, Sophie." I muttered, my back facing her.

"It's just, I always knew you had low standards but come on, are you serious? Aren't you afraid he might punch you out or something?"

I spun around to face her again. But this time, I was pissed. I opened my mouth, just about to tell her off, when the lunch lady stopped me.

"Next! Hello? Next!"

I took a breath, forcing myself to calm down. "Um… two waters." She placed them in front of me and I handed her money.

When I turned around, Sophie was gone. I scanned the cafeteria but she was nowhere in sight. It's funny how I used to be _afraid_ of her. But now, more than anything, she just made me mad. I was mad that I ever thought she was my friend, mad that I chose her over Clarke. And when she mentioned Owen, that was just too far.

I stormed back over to him, slamming the waters on the bench. He quirked an eyebrow, pulling off his earphones. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry. I'll get the waters next time."

I sat down opposite from him, crossing my arms over my chest. "That's not why I'm upset."

His face turned serious "What happened, Annabel?"

I sighed, resting my chin on my hand. "Sophie was just… getting on my nerves."

"I thought you said she's been ignoring you?"

"She has been! But on line, she started talking to me. She was trying to make _me _feel sorry for_ her_. Like I should feel guilty because people want nothing to do with her. Can you believe that?"

Owen shook his head, obviously disturbed by this.

"She thinks I lied for pity, saying that it's better for everyone to think that I'm a victim rather than a whore. She's got it all wrong. I used to _want _it the other way around."

Owen frowned. I knew this bothered him. Maybe even more than it bothered me. I sighed "How is it even possible for someone to be so heartless? Doesn't she ever think about anyone other than herself?"

"No. She doesn't." Owen finally said. "You shouldn't feel sorry for her. That makes no sense."

"Trust me, I don't."

He placed his hand on mine, offering a soft smile. I smiled and leaned in to kiss him.

**A/N: Liked it? Hated it? Leave a review! I love feedback!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry this took so long! I promise not to quit on this story. I have it all planned out in my head. I couldn't possibly just stop. Just please be patient with me. It may take me some time to update. Thank you and don't forget to review.**

I was heading for the parking lot when someone bumped my shoulder. _Hard_. My notebooks fell to the ground, papers flying everywhere. I looked up and saw Sophie walking away. She was peering over her shoulder with a smirk on that pretty little face. Then she slid into a waiting car and slammed the door shut.

I guess that was for our little encounter at lunch today. I sighed, kneeling down, when someone offered me a hand.

"Is she still giving you a hard time?" Emily asked, handing me some papers. I managed to gather it all together and we stood up.

I stared at her for a second, noticing how much happier her eyes looked than when I last saw her up close. "Well, she hasn't been… Guess that ends that."

Emily shook her head "She has serious issues."

"Do you think we help her? They way she helped us?"

Her face darkened. "No. She's on her own now."

Right behind us, someone sounded their horn. I spun around to see Owen, smiling at me through the window.

"Owen seems really nice." Emily said "You guys are pretty serious, huh?"

"Yeah, we are."

She smiled, looking at me now "I'm happy for you, Annabel."

I heard Emily's name come from across the parking lot and she turned to see who it was. A few of her friends were calling her over.

"I'm happy for you too, Emily." I said.

She beamed "I'll see you around. Have a nice vacation."

"You too." With that, she went to go join her friends. Although Emily was younger than me, I looked up to her. She never tried to hide it. She had the courage to confess. Then there's me, who said nothing, thinking there was no way anyone could ever understand or help me.

"That was Emily, right?" Owen asked, interrupting my thoughts. I pulled across my seat beat and he automatically pulled out his hammer, buckling it with several taps. Of course, I told Owen all about Emily. He knew what she had gone through. What _we _had gone through.

"Yeah… She's doing well." I said, nodding.

Owen fell silent, looking thoughtful. "So am I." I added "Like it never happened."

He glanced at me, knowing that was a lie. I sighed "Okay. It happened and I'll probably never forget. But I'm better now. Much better. You said so yourself: People recover."

Same goes for my sister, Whitney.

Owen smiled a little "You know, I don't agree with something you once told me."

"Well, what else is new?"

His smile grew "You once said you envy Emily, because you think she's stronger than you."

"Isn't she? I mean… Emily came right out with it and I never said a word."

"But you did. It just took you a little longer. You're just as brave as she is."

"But if it wasn't for you, I would have never-"

"Maybe I helped." He cut me off "But I didn't force you to tell me or anyone else. You did that all on your own."

"Hmm." I looked out my window, seeing the middle school as we pulled into the parking lot. "I guess you're right."

He looked at me, _knowing_ he was right. I guess, in the end, I managed to save _myself_.

Owen went along the curb and put it in park. Seconds later, Mallory was opening the back door, shouting goodbye to her friends.

"You guys aren't going to believe what happened today!" She exclaimed, slamming the door behind her.

"Mallory, _easy_." Owen said

She leaned in, resting her elbows on our seats, and turned to me. "Remember how I was telling you about that boy I like? Scott? _Well_, today he asked me if he could borrow a pen. So I gave him one then he smiled and said 'thanks so much'. Can you believe it?"

"Wait,_ that's_ what happened today?" Owen asked. "Are you kidding?"

Mallory rolled her eyes "It's obviously a sign that he likes me back. Right, Annabel?"

Ah, middle school crushes. I remember those. How one little thing could mean so such to a thirteen year old girl. Of course I'd play along. "Oh sure! He could have just said 'thanks' but he said '_thanks so much_'. There's a huge difference."

Owen shook his head. I smirked at him.

"That's exactly what I thought! And after class, he made sure to give it back. How sweet is that?" She sighed "We're so meant to be."

Then she gasped "Hey! Turn this song up!"

Owen was bummed because his CD player broke the other day. I pointed out that the car radio was better than silence. He agreed. So this meant I would flip through the stations, searching for songs that met his approval. He was fair and settled for my songs too. Just no Jenny Reef. And I declared no techno.

"Mark my words: This will be our wedding song." Mallory said

I recognized the catchy love song right away. It was a big hit when I was in middle school but Mallory seemed to know it, singing along to every word.

"Mallory, _please_." Owen groaned.

"Lighten up, Owen. I bet Annabel likes this song."

"Oh I bet she does." He agreed, like it was a bad thing.

I took that as a challenge and decided it was my turn to sing along. Because I too knew every word. It's funny how you can remember a certain song even after years of not listening to it. I glanced at Owen, who looked less annoyed now. He was trying to hide a smile.

Mallory frowned "Hey, how come you don't get mad when _she_ sings?"

"I like it coming from her." He shrugged then added "Besides, you tend to make dogs bark."

Mallory punched his shoulder and sat back in her seat. I giggled and he smiled at me.

As we pulled into my driveway, I could see Whitney at the kitchen table, scribbling into a notebook. I looked at Owen "Kristen's coming home tonight with her boyfriend. We're having a big family dinner. So I was wondering if you wanted to come by later?"

He smiled "Sounds good. Count me in."

My parents went to pick up Kristen and her boyfriend from the airport. This would be my second time seeing Brian. Kristen had brought him home with her one weekend as a surprise. My parents loved him right away and frankly, so did I. He seemed like a really nice guy. And _smart _too. I always pictured Kristen with a reckless bad-boy type of guy, considering the ones she dated in High School. But Brian seemed to be quite the opposite.

Meanwhile at home, Whitney and I were making dinner. My sister really liked cooking. Cooking and writing: her two favorite things.

Her eating disorder was over. "It's all in the past" she told me. And I believed her. Whitney was better than ever, really. Happy and healthy. She smiled more and went out with her friends often. Whitney got a fresh start at life, setting new goals for herself. She's been attending a local college and taking two writing classes on the side. She even promised to let me read some of her work (whenever that may be).

Then the door bell rang. Whitney looked up from chopping vegetables. "They're back already?"

"Nah, I invited Owen over."

He smiled when I opened the door, holding a pie in his hands. "Courtesy of my mother." He explained.

I took it from him, feeling curious. "Hmm… apple?"

He nodded "Your favorite, right? I put in the request."

I smiled. Owen remembers all my little details. Take this apple pie for instance. He never misses anything I tell him.

We went into the kitchen where I put the pie on the counter. Owen took a whiff "Smells good. What are we having?"

"It's Baked Ziti." Whitney said, looking into the oven. "My specialty" She slipped on an oven mitt and took it out to cool. "Why don't you set the table, Annabel?"

I nodded, reaching for a cabinet. I pulled out the fancy plates we only use for company. "So you get to meet Kristen's boyfriend tonight." I said, as he helped me set the table.

"Yeah? How's he?"

"Really nice. And they're pretty serious. I have a feeling Kristen's going to have big news."

Whitney overheard this, placing a bowl of salad in the center of the table. "What? Like a proposal?"

I shrugged with a smile. "You never know."

"There's no way. They've only been together for a few months."

"Like, four." I corrected her "And he's all she ever talks about. They're engaged. I just know it."

Whitney shook her head "How much do you want to bet?"

I looked at her. Whitney never bet on anything. Meaning, why would she start now if she thought she might lose? But I felt so sure about this. "_If_ they're engaged, you do my laundry for a month. If not, then I do yours."

She considered this for a second then nodded "Alright. Deal."


End file.
